scholarly journals Hackathons as Instruments for Settlement Sector Innovation

Author(s):  
Eliana Trinaistic

In Canada, the non-profit organizations (NPO) and settlement sectors are increasingly re-examining their responsibility for service delivery and service design. With a growing interest in understanding how to include design principles and an “innovation” mindset in addressing the long-term outcomes of social services, new instruments are introduced as a way to experiment with different modes of engagement among the various stakeholders. The aim of community hackathons or civic hacks—a derivative of tech gatherings customized to fit public engagement—is to collaboratively rethink, redesign, and resolve a range of social and policy issues that communities are facing, from settlement, the environment, health, or legal services. Although hackathons and civic hacks aspire to be democratic, relationship-driven instruments, aligned with non-profit principles of inclusion and diversity, they are also risky propositions from the perspective of the non-profit organizational culture in Canada in that they tend to lack solid structure, clear rules, and fixed outcomes. Despite the challenges, the promise of innovation is too attractive to be disregarded, and some non-profits are embarking (with or without the government’s help) on incorporating hackathons into their toolkits. This case study will present a practitioner’s perspective on the outcomes of two community hackathons, one exploring migration data sets and the other on language policy innovation, co-developed between 2016 and 2019 by MCIS Language Solutions, a Toronto based not-for-profit social enterprise, in partnership with various partners. The case study examines how the hackathon as an instrument can aid settlement sectors and governments in fostering non-profit innovation to rethinking the trajectory of taking solutions to scale.

Author(s):  
Sultana Lubna Alam ◽  
Ruonan Sun ◽  
John Campbell

While most crowdsourcing (CS) cases in the literature focus on commercial organisations, little is known about volunteers’ motivation of initial and continued participation in not-for-profit CS projects and importantly, about how the motivations may change over time. It is vital to understand motivation and motivational dynamics in a not-for-profit context because a fundamental challenge for not-for-profit CS initiations is to recruit and keep volunteers motivated without any formal contract or financial incentives. To tackle this challenge, we explore high performing volunteers’ initial motivation for joining and sustaining with a GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) CS project. We situated our interpretive exploration in a case study of the Australian Newspapers CS project initiated by the National Library of Australia. Based on the case study, we found that high-performing volunteers were motivated by a combination of personal, collective, and external factors classified into intrinsic, extrinsic, and internalised extrinsic motivations. Further, we found that these motivations changed over time. Specifically, many volunteers presented substantial personal (i.e., personal interest and fun) and community-centric motivations (i.e. altruism and non-profit cause) when they initially joined the project, whereas external motivations (i.e., recognition and rewards) had a greater impact on long-term participation. Our findings offer implications for CS system design (e.g., user profiles, tagging and commenting), incentive structure (e.g., reputation-based ranking, leader boards), and relational mechanisms (e.g., open communication channels) to stimulate sustainable contributions for not-for-profit CS initiatives.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank J. Grippo ◽  
Noah P. Barsky ◽  
Joel Siegel ◽  
William Matthews

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.6in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;">This case requires you to resolve financial reporting deficiencies that arise in the audit of a not-for-profit entity, a prestigious private high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This case is based on the actual experience that an audit firm had with a not-for-profit client.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The primary reporting issues in the case relate to investments, contributions, severance packages, and leases that arise due to school management&rsquo;s failure to consider recent accounting pronouncements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>By completing this case, you will learn about standards that affect not-for-profit entities and how auditors resolve differences with clients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The decisions that you make require an understanding of technical knowledge of topics covered in typical intermediate accounting courses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In addition, the case requires you to integrate accounting theory with the practice of auditing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The premise for the case is that in order to be a successful auditor, you will need a good understanding of your client&rsquo;s business as well as technical accounting issues. </span></p>


BMJ Open ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. e005970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Petsoulas ◽  
Pauline Allen ◽  
Kath Checkland ◽  
Anna Coleman ◽  
Julia Segar ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe 2010 healthcare reform in England introduced primary care-led commissioning in the National Health Service (NHS) by establishing clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). A key factor for the success of the reform is the provision of excellent commissioning support services to CCGs. The Government's aim is to create a vibrant market of competing providers of such services (from both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors). Until this market develops, however, commissioning support units (CSUs) have been created from which CCGs are buying commissioning support functions. This study explored the attitudes of CCGs towards outsourcing commissioning support functions during the initial stage of the reform.DesignThe research took place between September 2011 and June 2012. We used a case study research design in eight CCGs, conducting in-depth interviews, observation of meetings and analysis of policy documents.Setting/participantsWe conducted 96 interviews and observed 146 meetings (a total of approximately 439 h).ResultsMany CCGs were reluctant to outsource core commissioning support functions (such as contracting) for fear of losing local knowledge and trusted relationships. Others were disappointed by the absence of choice and saw CSUs as monopolies and a recreation of the abolished PCTs. Many expressed doubts about the expectation that outsourcing of commissioning support functions will result in lower administrative costs.ConclusionsGiven the nature of healthcare commissioning, outsourcing vital commissioning support functions may not be the preferred option of CCGs. Considerations of high transaction costs, and the risk of fragmentation of services and loss of trusted relationships involved in short-term contracting, may lead most CCGs to decide to form long-term partnerships with commissioning support suppliers in the future. This option, however, limits competition by creating ‘network closure’ and calls into question the Government's intention to create a vibrant market of commissioning support provision.


Author(s):  
Bhawna Mehta ◽  
Archana Singh

The paper explores new avenues for financing along with capacity building for a non-profit organization (Gramiksha). The study intends to find a solution to the problem of sustainable channel of revenue and funding for Gramiksha and further make it self-sufficient in the long term. In particular, the study analyses the possibility of realizing capital from investments by private investors in exchange for repayment made by the NGO in the form of return on that investment. Gramiksha is a not-for-profit organization that works in the fields of community development, child welfare, education and literature. Their 2 projects: Udaan and Dream School Project aim to fuel these goals. Here, the study calculates the return on impact and other ways in which Gramiksha can repay investors.


Author(s):  
Chang Lyul Jung ◽  
Alan Walker ◽  
Yongpil Moon

Korean long-term care was introduced as a national system aimed at a rapid transformation from informal care to universal formal care based on choice and competition. However, it failed to satisfy the prerequisites for such a market model, which resulted in various equity problems. In order to tackle these problems, the government superimposed a regulatory framework on to the market. However, in a situation where providers concentrate on profit maximisation, the enhancement of regulations may partially tackle some problems but new ones are created, such as resistance from providers. This article is a Korean case study which shows that, in a context of low trust, it is difficult to enhance regulations governing the private, for-profit provision of social services to enable the effective operation of choice and competition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Ludger Pries ◽  
Martina Maletzky

Internationalization of value chains and of for-profit as well as non-profit organizations, and as a result of cheaper and safer mass migration, transnational labor mobility is of increasing importance. The article presents the development of the different types of cross-border labor mobility (from long-term labor migration over expatriats/inpatriats up to business traveling); it analyses crucial aspects of labor conditions and how the collective regulation of working, employment and participation conditions in general is affected: could local or national forms of labor regulation cope with these new conditions? What are the main challenges when it comes to collective bargaining and the monitoring of labor conditions? The article is based on a three year international and comparative research in Germany and Mexico. First, different ideal types of transnational labor mobility are distinguished that have emerged as a result of increasing cross-border labor mobility. Then potential sources of labor related social inequality and challenges in the regulation of the working, employment and participation conditions for transnational workers are discussed. Finally, some conclusions are drawn for further research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1164-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Allison Beer ◽  
Pietro Micheli

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of performance measurement (PM) on not-for-profit (NFP) organizations’ stakeholders by studying how PM practices interact with understandings of legitimate performance goals. This study invokes institutional logics theory to explain interactions between PM and stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study is conducted in a large NFP organization in the UK. Managers, employees, and external partners are interviewed and observed, and performance-related documents analyzed. Findings Both stakeholders and PM practices are found to have dominant institutional logics that portray certain goals as legitimate. PM practices can reinforce, reconcile, or inhibit stakeholders’ understandings and propensity to act toward goals, depending on the extent to which practices share the dominant logic of the stakeholders they interact with. Research limitations/implications A theoretical framework is proposed for how PM practices first interact with stakeholders at a cognitive level and second influence action. This research is based on a single case study, which limits generalizability of findings; however, results may be transferable to other environments where PM is aimed at balancing competing stakeholder objectives and organizational priorities. Practical implications PM affects the experience of stakeholders by interacting with their understanding of legitimate performance goals. PM systems should be designed and implemented on the basis of both their formal ability to represent organizational aims and objectives, and their influence on stakeholders. Originality/value Findings advance PM theory by offering an explanation for how PM influences attention and actions at an individual micro level.


2020 ◽  
pp. 376-390
Author(s):  
Amir Manzoor

Crowdfunding has been applied to equity investments as well as in a preproduction consumer purchase model. Crowdfunding is projected to become a $US90-96 billion industry by 2025, and is being touted as a valuable tool for fundraising for charitable non-profits. For leading non-profits around the globe a critical question is whether charitable crowdfunding is a threat or an opportunity for them. This chapter demonstrates that charitable crowdfunding represents a powerful new fundraising tool for leading, start-ups and not for profit organisations. This discussion contributes to the financial knowledge, specifically in the online crowdfunding and non-profit organisations and concludes that non-profit organisations through crowdfunding has the potential to expand the donor base.


SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401988512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Chamberlain ◽  
Wendy Duggleby ◽  
Janet Fast ◽  
Pamela B. Teaster ◽  
Carole A. Estabrooks

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of residents who are incapacitated and have no surrogate decision maker, known as the “unbefriended” in Alberta long-term care (LTC) homes. Using cross-sectional online survey methods, data were collected from 123 staff (i.e., directors of care/nursing, administrators) from Alberta LTC homes. Information was collected on survey respondents’ demographic characteristics, number of unbefriended residents, and on organizational characteristics. The overall prevalence of unbefriended residents in LTC homes was 4.14% in Alberta ( SD = 6.28%, range: 0%-34.6%). Homes with the highest prevalence (nearly 15%) of unbefriended residents had >135 beds and were public not-for-profit and located in large urban centers. Fifty-three percent of unbefriended residents were male. The highest prevalence of unbefriended residents lived in homes located in large urban centers and public not-for-profit operators. Population level and LTC home level prevalence data are needed to assess the scope of unmet needs.


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